1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pump and bottle stopper. In particular, the invention relates to a pump used to evacuate gas, including air, through the stopper from a partially full wine bottle to better preserve the remaining wine.
2. Description of Related Art
Wine enthusiasts generally allow a newly uncorked bottle of red wine to “breath” for a half an hour or so. Exposing the wine to air for this short time is said to improve the wine. However, exposure of the wine to air for longer periods, such as 6 hours or more, tends to deteriorate the wine. Therefore, if a bottle of wine remains unconsumed, it is preferable to stopper the bottle and then remove air from the partially filled stoppered bottle of wine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,803 to Schneider describes a stopper having a slit valve. The stopper is provided for a bottle which is adapted to be used with a pump for evacuating air from the bottle to preserve wine being consumed from the bottle. The stopper and valve are integral and are made of the same elastic material. The valve is surrounded by a raised circular edge for protecting the slit valve. A circular flange is provided which rests on the top of the bottle neck. The raised circular edge is shaped to sealably receive a pump housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,633 to Schneider describes a stopper with a valve for a bottle. The stopper and valve are integral and of the same elastic material, the valve being surrounded by a circular raised edge and a circular flange for sealable cooperation with a pump made from plastic material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,314 to Schneider describes a hand operated pump for use with an elastic stopper inserted in the neck of a bottle for varying the internal pressure in the bottle. The pump includes a hollow cylindrical housing, a piston having a piston rod, and a handle. The hollow cylindrical housing has first and second ends. The piston rod is in the form of a hollow pipe with first and second ends. The piston rod has a diameter slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the cylindrical housing. The piston rod has attached to it a cross wall closing the second end of the piston rod thereby forming the piston on the piston rod. The handle is mounted on said first end of said piston rod. The piston further includes a means for slideably and captivatingly mounting the piston in the cylindrical housing with the piston rod being extendable only for a predetermined distance from the first end of the cylindrical housing. The piston rod has a predetermined downward movement in the cylinder. The pump further includes an annular downardly extending means on the second end of the cylinder for axially sealingly engaging an annular elastic upwardly extending wall of a stopper.